Events after Shadow Heir
by 21eaurora
Summary: This is my first run at Fan Fiction. I write my own stories but after re-reading the Dark Swan series, I realized I could not take it a second time. I had to complete Eugenie's story, for my own sanity. Although R.M. said she does not like neat endings, I think many of her fans would've appreciated some type of closure. I hope this helps. I do not own any of these characters.


Chapter 1

It never occurred to me that out of all the fairy tales I've read and heard growing up, I'd be living one. Or, that my children would be living in one. As a mother, one might be happy to say that their child was the focal point of a fairy tale. After all, fairy tales end with a happily ever after, no one ever really dies, and the bad guys get their just desserts. But I was not an ordinary mother and my children were not ordinary. I was Queen of two Fairy Kingdoms. And while that might sound like the perfect powerful thing that it should, it wasn't.

In my fairy world, or Otherworld, more power translated to more danger. Which, even I would think, wouldn't be the case and in most situations…it wouldn't. But unfortunately for my children, a prophecy witnessed, heard, and past down for decades before my children were even born made it the exception.

The prophecy foretold that the first son of Storm King's daughter would conquer the human world. And although my nephew, Storm King's first grandson, in a bazaar turn of events already tried to conquer the human world and died: Some say he died too quickly and that the prophecy now lays with my son. My son who hasn't even seen his first birthday yet. The son I spent my entire pregnancy protecting, initially due to his twin sister. Both of whom I now protect as they stay hidden away in the human world. Away from those that mean them harm.

Which brings me back to my "in real life" fairy tale, only it was backwards, I suppose. In fairy tales, human children are hidden away with their Fairy Godmother's to watch over them and protect them with magic. One difference being that I placed them in the care of humans in the hopes that normalcy and lack of magic would protect them. The other difference being that my two children were fairy in every way but the quarter human they now carried from me.

I recalled the vibrant green of their eyes, not even close to the violet of my own, but painstakingly identical to that of their father's, my lover and best friend King of the Oak Land, Dorian. The man who snored lightly beside me as the soft pink of dawn spilled in from his bedroom window.

Dorian did not know my son and daughter, Ivy and Isaac, were also his children. My entire pregnancy and through their birth I was led to believe that the father of my children had been my ex-lover and current enemy, who also happened to be a powerful Kit-sune, Kiyo. But nearly six months ago Kiyo confessed to me that right after the birth of his own daughter nearly two years ago, he had a vasectomy to prevent any more unplanned pregnancies. Which had been especially necessary at the time we were dating to prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled.

He withheld this information for nearly a year and made me believe that the father of my children wanted to kill his own heirs to keep the information from Dorian who he knew would move heaven and Earth and the Otherworld, to protect his children. And now I withheld the good news from Dorian because I knew what Dorian would do. He would demand his children be brought back to the Otherworld were he could protect them. He would go around me and even through me if he had to. Even if that meant that our children were surrounded by guards their entire lives. Even if it meant our children would never grow up living normal lives. At the time, I had been ninety- percent sure that leaving them in the human world had been the right decision.

But as the months wore on, and my earning for them intensified, I wasn't so sure I made the right choice. Many things occupied my thoughts so often that it made it hard for me to function most days. My guilt over not telling Dorian the truth of our children's parentage consumed me, day in and day out. It was beginning to override my need to keep our children safe.

But second guessing my decision really began in the last few weeks. The first came when Dorian commented that he couldn't wait to see when Ivy and Isaac would start to manifest their powers. I had nearly choked on my breakfast at that.

"Excuse me" I'd said, gasping on the piece of toast I had forced down my throat. Dorian had taken it all in stride and patted my back in a motherly way.

"Please, my dear," he had begun in that way of his, "try not to embarrass me in front of our quests." He had been referring to the many gentry of nobles and dignitaries he had invited to breakfast. Dorian had a taste for style and flare. He liked to make even the most simplest of meals a grand occasion. As we were in his lands, I tried to just roll with the punches.

I ignored him and his guests. "What do you mean manifest their powers?" Dorian always seemed to get the oddest look on his face when I asked something he deemed particularly simple. That day had been no different. He tossed his long auburn air over his shoulder and began to explain as if I were a child.

"Your children are the prodigy of a queen who holds two lands. Need I remind you, you are the only one who currently does so?" But he hadn't waited for me to respond. "They are the grandchildren of Storm King our most powerful magic user and even if their father is a kit-sune" using it as if it was a derogatory word, "they will be powerful. Why? I have already heard reports of Luisa making leaps and bounds in her magic despite her unfortunate heritage. I do suppose your children won't be far behind." Referring to Kiyo's only daughter with Queen Maiween, one of our current enemies and our biggest problem.

I hadn't known what to say to that. Dorian had returned to entertaining his guests while I pondered the implications of his statement. Later, later I had asked him to guess when their powers may come. He indulged me in the privacy of his chambers.

"I am not sure. Soon I imagine. But in cases like Katrices' unfortunate son, even his limited hold on magic did not present itself until he was nearly seven years old." Leith, the gentry Dorian referred to had been weak, even by royalty standards and had try to gain power by degrading and humiliating me. Dorian had killed him for the mistake, something I do not regret to this day. I had become Queen of his mother's lands soon after she declared War on Dorian and I. And in return, I had broken things off with Dorian for tricking me into getting the Iron Crown. THE Iron Crown that had allowed me to separate Katrice' bonds from her kingdom. Thus leading me into Kiyo's arms and why I subsequently thought he was the father and not Dorian coming back full circle to the problem at hand.

Dorian predicted my children would manifest their powers sooner rather than later. And that was with the current information. He wasn't factoring in the small detail that their father was one of the most powerful earth magic wielders this world had to offer.

"Can't you narrow it down?" I had asked. Dorian had looked at me then, really looked at me and took on a seriousness I rarely saw in him.

"You know I do not support keeping your children in the human realm. I would be only too happy to adopt Thundro and the plant as my own."

"Ivy." I sighed. "her name is Ivy." He had begun to call Ivy a plant. He knew full well what our children's name were but he did not approve of the ones I picked. I had begun to let the Thundro name go. He ignored me.

"With that being said, I would honestly guess you have a year or two more before you have to worry." But I had nearly choked on my own surprise again.

"So soon? How is that possible when I did not begin to manifest my powers until I was an adult?"

"Somehow I doubt that. Are you sure it wasn't until you reached maturity?"

"Yes." I said in an instant.

"Or is it possible that you were using your magic long before, only it was misinterpreted as shaman magic" I stopped to think about, never before connecting the dots. "Can you not think of any instance where Roland the great Storm Slayer commented on how adept you were at using your magic, even in the beginning?"

Immediately my memory had pulled up the many instances of Roland telling me how easily I had learned a particular skill, or how quickly my connections to the Otherworld and Underworld manifested even compared to veteran shamans. Dorian read it all in my face and followed up with, "So when did you really manifest your powers?" I hadn't answered him while I thought. I had been a teenager, maybe younger. But he answered over me.

"Me? Why I was throwing boulders and making mountains as big as trees by the time I was four. Mother used to be so proud…" He had gone on but I had been lost in thought. Yes, my children did not have long before their powers became an issue if you factored in both their parents.

Which brought me back to my guilt. I was the worst of hypocrites for keeping this lingering secret from the father of my children. A man who has made it plain as day every waking minute there was nothing he wouldn't do for me. A man who does not apologize, has probably never apologized a day in his life and yet, he had told me he regrets tricking me into acquiring the Iron Crown. If only because, at the time, we both thought Kiyo was the father and his act of betrayed had led me into Kiyo's arms.

But here I was, doing the exact same thing to him. Betraying him and being the worst sort of hypocrite when I knew telling him the news of his fatherhood would be the best moment of his life.

The second reason that had me seriously reconsidering my position on keeping my children in the human world had come from Candace during my visit only last week. The twins had been sick. It had nearly broken my heart to witness it and to hear the reports of sickness from Candace and her husband Charlie. It began around their six month birthday. Crying fits, fever, and rashes would occur intermittently. Candace, who had probably read every written book imaginable on babies, figured it was nothing more than growing pains. All babies got rashes, especially diaper rashes. All babies got at least one fever, it was part of strengthening the immune system. And all babies cried it was how they communicated.

After those initial reports I had stayed with them a month, wanting to be there for my children. And slowly, they had gotten better. The rashes disappeared. The fever disappeared. And my two beautiful children had returned to their quiet demeanor. Mostly Isaac who had a tendency to just stare at the world and take it all in. My precious Ivy returned to her normal attention seeking squawking but the cries of the discomfort vanished and I returned to the two lands that called for me.

But one morning when both twins were nine months old, they woke up crying, with fevers, and a rash all along their arms, hands, and feet. Candace had tried to call me. It had been during one of my stints in the Otherworld but there was no service in the Otherworld. She had taken them to the doctors. Despite the fact that my children had been well taken care, not in a child care setting, and only nine months old, the doctors had claimed it was the hand-foot-and-mouth disease since human medicine had no other explanation for it. But after three days of fever, crying, and rash, and still unable to get a hold of me, Candace called Roland.

Between Roland and my mom, they were able to suggest Candace and Charlie buy a wooden crib and let my children get as much outside time as the Reed's could manage. It had worked. Which meant one thing and one thing only. My children were more susceptible to human metals and technology than I had ever been, given their three quarter genes of gentry. It meant I had to remove them from the human world sooner rather than later.

All of which brought me to the million dollar question, how to tell Dorian? And was I making the right decision, once again? I tormented myself over and over.

It also tormented when I really thought about the reasons behind Kiyo's silence for so long. Kiyo, one of the greatest warriors I knew was so sure the likelihood of getting to my children diminished exponentially if not entirely when Dorian knew he was the father that he had been willing to make me believe he'd kill his own child instead of let Dorian know the truth.

Our enemies gave real pause when they considered that Dorian and I were the children's parents. I had to believe it would be enough to keep them safe. Or else, I just spent eighteen months protecting them for nothing.

Finally Dorian stirred beside me. I had been up all night again contemplating what to do and/or how to tell him. It was no longer going unnoticed.

I feebly attempted to roll onto my side as I felt him stir but Dorian was not oblivious.

"Don't try to hide it now." He said while he stretched beside me, "I know you were awake. I sincerely hope you were not up all night again."

He places a hand on my shoulder and pulls me to face him. I comply. "Are you thinking about your little ones?" Not trusting myself to blurt that they were his little ones as well, I only nod and the kindness in his face reminds me how much he loves me. "I know it is hard on you, my dear. Just remember, I am here for you. And if you ever want to bring Thundro and _Ivy."_ Emphasis on her actual name. _"_ here you know I would protect them as my own. My offer to adopt them still stands."

"I know." I say and turn completely to caress his cheek with my palm. The kiss is docile and sweet at first, but within moments I am pulled further into Dorian's embrace and I am reminded that it is very much, the morning.

So consumed in my thoughts that when our love making is done, I can barely recall it. It is the last straw for Dorian. He jerks out of the bed, tossing the covers out of his way in his anger.

"It is like you aren't even here. You being away from your children, having them stuck in the human world consumes you day in and day out." He was nearly yelling at me, something he has come close to but has never outright done so. Even when he found out I had slept with Kiyo he had not yelled at me. "You are this shell of a woman and I cannot bare to look at the pain in your eyes any more." I flinched at that.

"Please Eugenie, please. I beg of you, end your suffering and mine. Go to them, and even though it will pain me to be away from you, it pains me more to see you in so much pain." I swear a tear threatened to fall from my eyes.

"They are yours." I said aloud. Not wanting to inflict any more pain on either of us if I didn't have to.

"Excuse me?" He asked, even naked he had an only Kingly ability to look haughty and dignified.

"Ivy and Isaac, they are yours." I say as clearly and as succinctly as possible.

"Oh, so you are finally going to let me adopt Thundro and the plant?" He flashed me a laconic smile. "Does that mean you will finally move them here to the Otherworld where we can both protect them?" His face took on an excitement that was magnanimous but not as big as I was expecting. He wasn't getting it.

"No Dorian. Kiyo came to me about a month after the blight. He told me he had a vasectomy."

"Well good for him. I hope that means something like an epiphany and he will be leaving us alone. Come to think of it, he has been quite absent-"

I sighed, loud enough to cut him off. "A vasectomy is a human procedure men have to prevent them from having children."

"Why on this green Earth would any man do that?" He asked but he wasn't asking the most crucial question.

"Dorian. He said he had the procedure shortly after Luisa was born. Which means you are Isaac's and Ivy's father."


End file.
